News

Foo Fighters. FOO FIGHTERS! How many times have you needed that escape from a day to day work schedule and put on some rock and roll to feel a little rebellious? Or how about the rush of a guitar playing over drums to get you in the mood for a workout? Whether for health or headache, the Foo Fighters qualify as your go to rock band to take you to the next level, which is exactly what they did Wednesday night.

The Forum was packed, to no surprise, but the fans had to wait to see Foo Fighters as opening artist Gary Clark Jr. took the stage. Dressed in a denim jacket and blue jeans, crowned with his signature wide-brimmed fedora, Clark kicked off with his renown hit, “Bright Lights.” The lights matched his cherry red Gibson as he howled his chorus, “You gonna know my name by the end of the night,” making sure he left his impression on the crowd. Clark has had trouble dodging the Hendrix comparisons, but he continues to make a name for himself with the way he smoothly maneuvers his way through gritty blues ballads. He also shared the stage with his band, keeping his guitarist King Zapata involved as he manufactured a solid rhythm for soulful guitar licks to fill the void. Clark wasn’t going to let King have all the fun, however, as he brought his instrument to life during his performance of “When My Train Pulls In.” Overall, Clark’s performance was excellent and formed a good atmosphere for the Foo Fighters. Gary Clark Jr. also played some new songs from his recent album, such as, “The Healing,” “Shake,” and, “Our Love.”

As a giant curtain covered the stage from all sides, the stadium continued to fill to capacity and, after a 20 minute wait, the lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted. Finally it was time. All that was heard were screams of, “Memphis!” and “Are you ready?” from frontman Grohl, and it wasn’t until the curtains dropped that the band was revealed. It was Dave Grohl, centerstage, seated in his royal throne! (Grohl sustained a broken leg at a June 12 show in Sweden)

“I could have cancelled or postponed the tour because of the injury, but you know what? I actually like my job so we decided to make it work,” Grohl said about his seat for the night.

And what a seat it was. The throne had guitars sticking out of the sides, a leather seat, a light show constructed on the top, and even a cup holder for Grohl’s holy grail, or red solo cup whichever works. And if you’re wondering if being seated meant being sidelined for Grohl, it didn’t. The frontman began the night head-banging to the beat of “Everlong,” as Foo Fighters began their set. Quickly, the throne rolled to the extended stage, and Grohl raised his boot in the air as he began to sing. It was a rock show.

Blending their songs together, the band did not take a break until they finished “Learn to Fly,” their third song of the set. Frontman Grohl made the statement that he was targeting newcomers and his goal was to give them a show to remember. It appeared the frontman had picked up on his guitar playing, expanding his already versatile musical resumé, when the band transitioned into, “The Pretender,” when Grohl played the first verse on the fretboard before using his voice.

The night altogether was full of surprises, as the goofy frontman turned their first hit, “Big Me,” into an intimate setting and even dedicated it to his sound manager, Dan. But the biggest surprise of the night was when Grohl told a pre-Foo Fighters story of how his band lost in the high school battle of the bands contest. What was even more of a surprise was the man who beat him in that contest was in Memphis for the show. After being summoned to stage, the two collaborated on the 1981 hit, “Under Pressure,” which is originally performed by Queen featuring David Bowie. After the performance, Chett told Grohl, “I may have won the battle, but you won the war.” Shortly after one collaboration, Gary Clark Jr came out and performed with the band as well. It seemed that the Foo Fighters wanted everyone to get in on the fun, and, in their own words, “kick back and play music.”

An amazing night calls for an amazing end, as the Foo Fighters brought their 20 song performance to a close with their massive hit, “Best of You.” A night star performances was well-capped as the band travelled centerstage and took a bow, even Grohl as he hobbled along. Such stellar performances from such an iconic band, and a true pleasure to watch. Much love to the band as they travel farther on their tour.

Feel free to share the below Instagram-ready photos from the show with the following photo credit. Please do not crop or manipulate the photos in any way. We also encourage tagging the artist when posting.